Discussion Questions:

• In what ways might you be relying on external behaviors rather than addressing the condition of your heart?
• How can you discern the difference between sound doctrine and teaching that merely sounds spiritual but is actually unhealthy?
• If the goal of correction is healing (“that they may be sound in the faith”), why is it so hard to give or receive it today, and how can we cultivate a culture that restores rather than wins arguments?

Discussion Questions:

• Who have been spiritual fathers or mothers to you throughout your life? How have they each helped spiritually form you?
• Are there any areas of your life where you are not “above reproach?” Confess them to the Lord and to a trusted friend today.
• Where are there inconsistencies between your private life and public life?
• How will you regularly pray for and encourage the spiritual leaders at Chelten and in your life?

Discussion Questions

• When did you come to faith in Christ, and what led to your conversion?
• In what ways are you growing in knowing and living out God’s truth?
• How does the hope of eternal life help you through your struggles?

• Where in your life are you most tempted to say, “We had hoped,” and how does that disappointment shape the way you see Jesus?
• In what ways might Jesus be nearer to you than you realize right now, even if you have struggled to recognize his presence?
• Has the gospel become too familiar to you in any way, and what helps your heart burn again through God’s Word?
• Who is one person you can tell this week, in word or deed, that “The Lord has risen indeed”?

Discussion Questions

• What are some barriers in your life that prevent you from experiencing wholeness and completeness (biblical idea of peace)?
• What does Jesus’ cleansing of the temple reveal about what matters most to him? If he were to “enter the temple” of your life, what might he confront or overturn?
• In what ways are you tempted to look to Jesus to simply change your circumstances rather than change your heart?
• How does Jesus’ promise to make all things right at his return give you hope in the middle of difficult circumstances?

Discussion Questions

• Where in your life right now do you feel dryness, restlessness, or spiritual fatigue?
• In what ways do you try to find satisfaction apart from God? Why do those things ultimately fall short?
• What practical rhythms could help you seek God “early” and “through the night”?

Discussion Questions

• Where do you tend to “count your fighting men”? In other words, what numbers, achievements, or forms of security (money, success, reputation, influence) do you rely on instead of trusting God?
• What is the difference between being “conscience-stricken” and “consequence-stricken”? How can we tell whether our repentance is truly about the sin itself rather than just the consequences we are facing?
• The passage reveals God as both holy and compassionate. Why is it important not to reduce God to only one of these attributes, and how might our view of God shape the way we treat and relate to others?

• What do you want people to say about you at your funeral?

• How do the decisions you make in life with your time, money and energy point beyond you to make much of King Jesus?

• What warning does the description of “worthless men” give us about resisting God’s rule and authority in our lives?
• The new covenant promises of God to you are “ordered in all things and secure” in Christ. Which promises do you most often cling to? Which promises are difficult to believe?